1A Record Club: Taylor Swift and 'The Tortured Poets Department'

WAMU 88.5 | By Michael Falero

Published April 22, 2024 at 2:48 PM EDT

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General atmosphere of Spotify's Taylor Swift pop-up at The Grove for her new album "The Tortured Poets Department" at The Grove in Los Angeles, California.

She’s back with more music… in case you forgot about herfor a minute.

Taylor Swift dropped her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” at midnight on Friday. Like she did with her previous album, “Midnights”, she posted a surprise for fans a few hours later: 15 extra tracks on the album. That brings the total track listing to 31 songs.

Swift is prolific. She’s released four albums since 2020, plus f0ur re-recorded albums. Her Eras Tour sold out stadiums across the U.S. last year, and it continues through 2024. The hold Taylor Swift has on much of our popular consciousness defies comparison with other current artists.

Wheredoes Swift’s new album fit in toher catalog of music?And whydid she release it now,halfway throughher multi-year tour?